Timely reports and insights about this much-maligned predator and its domesticated relatives along with inspired wildlife perspectives that affect the future of wolves

Sunday, February 26, 2006

Wolves in Illinois still rare, but future is promising

February 26, 2006

BY DALE BOWMAN STAFF REPORTER

When Braidwood Lake reopens to fishing on Wednesday, an island will be cordoned off to protect a pair of bald eagles attempting to nest. This comes as the third wild wolf since 2002 has been confirmed in Illinois.

Last week brought those two stark reminders that the intersection between protected animals and humans is becoming more common in Illinois, enough to warrant more education and understanding.

"It is kind of like bald eagles: If somebody saw a bald eagle [in Illinois] 20 years ago, that was a big deal,'' Tim Santel said. "Now it's kind of commonplace. Maybe 20 years from now, it will be no big deal for somebody to see a wolf run about across their field

"Are there wolves here? Probably. Will there be wolves here in the future? Probably. As long as we continue to do our jobs, there probably will be.''

In December, Seth Hall shot a canine while coyote hunting in Pike County that has been confirmed by DNA tests as a wild wolf.

Hall's wolf has put Santel in a bit of a pickle. Wolves are federally protected in Illinois. Santel is the resident agent in charge for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service overseeing Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.

How do you charge a coyote hunter for shooting a wolf in a state where wolves aren't supposed to exist.

"The official line is it's still an ongoing investigation,'' Santel said. "No decision on what will happen next has been made. The main thing we want to do is start the process of educating the public and not to raise the alarm bells and get everybody worked up about wolves. This is a very rare occurrence.''

Donald F. Hoffmeister in Mammals of Illinois suggests "canids weighing less than 50 pounds are coyotes or dogs. Adult Illinois wolves would weigh well over 50 pounds.'' (p. 47) The Illinois Department of Natural Resources will make more of an effort to educate hunters on the differences between wolves and coyotes.

"In the past, we never had a mind-set that it's possible that they have a wolf; now it is possible,'' Santel said. "You need to think about it twice. Always be sure of your target before you pull the trigger. There has to be some responsibility placed on the hunters. If you're not sure, let it go.''

In other words, if a coyote looks too big, put the gun down. Wolves are possible.

The first confirmed modern wolf in Illinois was shot by coyote hunter Randy Worker in Marshall County in December 2002. The second was killed by a vehicle in Lake County in the fall of 2004.

"I think it's safe to assume as we succeed in continuing to protect endangered species like wolves, and their populations begin to increase, we will begin to see animals like wolves in places we haven't seen them [in modern times],'' Santel said.

Hoffmeister suggests all wolves were gone in Illinois by the 1860s.

"People need to keep things in perspective,'' Santel said. "We are talking about three wolves in the last how many decades? Chances are still rare that you will see one.''

The same used to be true of bald eagles. Not anymore.

As site workers prepared Braidwood, a 2,600-acre cooling lake an hour southwest of Chicago, for Wednesday's opener, they set up an extra buoy line for the nesting eagles.

Even so, they're not the most urban of nesting eagles. Another pair has tried for a couple of years to nest on the Calumet River on Chicago's Southeast Side.

"A group of people is always very excited and a group of people is very worried,'' Santel said. "That is the nature of the business.''

80 Comments:

Anonymous said...

My father has recently seen a pair of wolves around a foresty region within a Chicogo 'suburb' area. We live in a more rural area. I'm glad to hear that wolves are federaly proteced, and that the future looks good for them!

We live in Northern Lake County Illinois. I am certain that we have a wolf living in and around the lakes and forset preserve area that surround our neighborhood. How would I best confirm this? I have seen it, I am as certain as I can be, but there are so many dog prints in the snow that I am not really sure what I am looking for. I certainly wish this creature no harm, on the contrary I would like to confirm it's existance, or others, and have them protected here. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

About 5 years ago whilst joining I-80 from I-57 I saw what I thought was a wolf. I didn't know how big coyotes got until I did some research on them, and this was definitely no coyote. It was bigger than a german shepherd, and was just sitting by the expressway.

Yesterday I saw just inside the woods in the middle of the forest preserve ,which rt.45 and rt.83 cross, what I swear was a wolf. He/she was well over 50 pounds and did not look or seem to act like a dog. He/she was grey large with scraggly fur and looked just like the wolves I have seen on Discovery Channel in Yellowstone.

I sure hope the wolves are back. I would love to see them here in Northern IL. I have heard wolves howling in the wild in Minnesota, and I came across one during a hike. Of course it took off. Please we need to educate people about the wolves. They will naturally take care of the coyote population.

My husband and I live in Gurnee (Bridlewood) and we believe we have seen a wolf run through our suburb. He saw it alone while out walking the first time and I just thought he was nuts. Then tonight we were walking out our door and what looked like a wolf ran down the road. It was large and ran different than a dog runs. It got down the road and turned back, looked at us a couple seconds and ran off. It ran really fast and was too large for a coyote.

I was walking my dog in the Chain O'Lakes Forest Preserve about 3 or 4 weeks ago. I know coyotes are in the area (I live about a mile from the forest preserve). However, on that day 3 or 4 weeks ago I saw the biggest coyote I've ever seen. It was reddish/brown/grey and had to be as big as a german shepard. Just ran across our trail and went right into the brush. Very stocky and healthy looking. Most coyote's I've seen around here a significantly smaller, not very robust and grey. I first thought "wolf", but I don't believe they're out here, but I really don't know.

I saw what I thought was a huge Coyote on Kickapoo Creek Road between Peoria and Bartonville in the spring of 2000. I teas not a Wolf Dog as I've had experience with those. I stopped my car right beside it and it's head was the height of my side view mirror on my VW Jetta. I have a few few photos that I shot. I sent them to a ranch in NM that takes in Wolves that people raise as pets and then get too much for them. They confirmed my sighting was a wolf. So I know they are out there. I hope there is some way we can protect and encourage them

On Christmas Eve 2007 I was driving home from Westmont, IL and I was existing on to 355 from Ogden Ave and I saw a wolf cross my path on the exist ramp. It was well over 50 lbs and was gray. It was suprising but I did some research online and it has been confirmed there are some wolves that live in IL but are very rare.

we live in illinois and we have seen timberwolves in our the wetlands 47 feet from our house they have also been coming in my neighbors also our yard. one of our neighbors might be calling animal control but we have to keep our dog safe and our neighbors dogs safe because the wolve has attacked one of the dogs and to make it worse one of my neighbors is feeding it.

On Jan. 1st at 9 AM in Brezina Woods forest preserve in Cook County I spotted 3 large canines. They were reddish brown. Since they were identical in color I assume they were all from the same litter. They were not dogs. There is a pack of 5 coyotes in that area, but they are tan. I wonder if they could be a mixture of dog/wolf or dog coyote?

We live in Romeoville, IL. On January 3rd when I got home. I let my dog go outside as usual and when I was coming back to let her in. I spotted what looked like a timber wolf in my backyard. It was definetly over 50 pounds. Not to be confused with a coyote. I was startled. So, I went to let my dog in and the wolf ran off.

Monday,january 21,2008,I saw possible my first wolf in Illinois. It cross my path at a brisk trot, ignoring my car approaching. It was all black with straight long hair, a long tail bushy held straight horrizontally and larger than a german sheperd. At 5 pm on Wachter Rd. Galena

Last year I spotted a VERY large gray wolf in Oak Forest, Illinois. I was driving home from my uncles house with my dad and spotted him coming out of the forest preserve. I took many photos of the wolf.

A co-worker and I just saw a wolf the other night after we closed the computer lab. It was 3:15am or so on Thursday, Jan. 24th 2008. It was in town(Carbondale, IL) and running across the SIUC campus!!! I'm from Belvidere (near Rockford, IL) and he's from Peoria, IL and we both grew up in the country and have seen plenty of foxes and coyotes and this was way too big to be a coyote. It was basically grey and running very fast parallel to the road we were on. It was heading SW towards I-51 and appeared to have come from the campus woods (Thompson Woods). At one point it stopped running and I stopped the car and he stared at us while we stared back at him. It was amazing! Poor thing was alone - hope it finds it way and no idiot shoots/hits it.

On 1/27/2008 We were leaving New Windsor Sportsman Club southwest of Victoria, IL. When we turned east off Windsor Lake Road onto the blacktop 1750 N we saw the wolf on the south side of the road. It ran across the road and jumped the fence into the GTFO property and stood and watched as we drove slowly by. This link will take you to a map with a pushpin showing the last location we saw the wolf: http://maps.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.qv03df7gq92x_Wolf%20Sighting_01%2F27%2F2008%204%20PM%20Wolf%20crossed%20road%20coming%20from%20south%20going%20north%20and%20jumped%20fence%20into%20GTFO%20club.__&encType=1 If there is a way to post pictures, I have 2 that I found on the internet that look very much like the wolf we saw! This is hopefully a shortcut that will take you to a photo: http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://homepage.mac.com/wildlifeweb/mammal/wolf/seattle/wolf27.jpg&imgrefurl=http://homepage.mac.com/wildlifeweb/mammal/wolf/wolf01.html&h=400&w=600&sz=30&hl=en&start=63&sig2=Vllb_5PORzGdrtdKtNUMyw&um=1&tbnid=vVyfkOD4M7vwjM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&ei=z_2jR_fwJYaWigG8krSjAQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dwolf%2Bpictures%26start%3D60%26ndsp%3D20%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIC_enUS223US223%26sa%3DN Here is another link to Wildlife Prairie Park and a picture there: http://www.wildlifeprairiestatepark.org/animalpages/eastern_timber_wolf.htmRoger Durkee & Leslie Swords 309-762-4001

Correction to my last post about the wolf sighting. The link to the map pushpin is: http://maps.live.com/?v=2&sp=Point.qv01p27gq5cb_Wolf%20Sighting_01%2F27%2F2008%204%20PM%20Wolf%20crossed%20road%20coming%20from%20south%20going%20north%20and%20jumped%20fence%20into%20GTFO%20club.__&encType=1Once there you can zoom in to street level and change the view from map to hybrid! Roger

We have spotted a lone wolf a number of times this winter. We live directly off a conservatory in northern Lake County-Ingleside area. There is an abundance of White Tail Deer, which we assume is it's primary food source. Much larger than a coyote, and at least 60+lbs. Has anyone else spotted this animan?

We moved to Spring Grove (just east of Richmond, IL) two years ago. This is about two miles south of the Wisconsin border, maybe less, very near the Chain O' Lakes state park. Our subdivision is adjacent to a "hunting club" where captive quail and pheasant are released and hunted. There are also plenty of deer in the area. We frequently (at least once a week) hear and/or see coyotes in the woods behind our house. They look like small dogs to me with pointed snouts and ears. The first wolf sighting was from 100 yards or so in my neighbor's backyard but I thought that at the time it was simply the largest coyote I had seen so far. In between sightings, our 85 pound rotweiler mix of 12 years passed away. Apparently the passing of our big domestic canine made the big wild canine more comfortable, as I walked out my back door one evening and found myself nearly face to face with an animal that that was as large as our deceased pet. He was probably 10 feet or so away from where I was standing. We have a motion-security light back there that came on as I walked out the door. In addition to his size, his snout was round, not pointed. He didn't seemed especially alarmed by my presence, but I clapped my hands and yelled and he trotted casually off to the treeline. We since have gotten a smallish yellow lab as a new pet and have not seen the wolf since. My neighbors all think I am crazy, but I know that coyotes are never as large as the animal I saw.

When I was a teenager in Illinois (in a rural area outside of Delavan, along the Mackinaw River) I saw a pair of very large, dark grey, german-sheppard-looking "dogs" trotting along the edge of a soybean field along the river. The distinct way they were running with noses down and one directly behind the other reminded me of wolves I'd seen on documentaries and that was my immediate conclusion. After 10 minutes or so I grabbed a flashlight and got up the nerve to go look at the tracks. Now, please understand that I had Old English Mastiffs (200 lbs +) and still have a pair, so I was accustomed to "big dogs". And the tracks I found were every bit as big as my mastiff's tracks. I've told this tale to countless folks over these past 20 years only to be rebuffed repeatedly because "wolves aren't in Illinois anymore".

Well, I've been in California for several years now and I've seen a 44' humpback washed up on a beach, I've seen the only 2 great whites ever held in captivity, I've seen blackwidow spiders, and I even had a very special encounter with a california condor eating a dead fox on the side of the road (south of San Jose). But despite all of these encounters, that night along thhe banks of a little river in central Illinois still takes the cake. It's hard to explain, but it was a ery powerful image and I felt like I was traveling back in time to an era where man and wolf lved in quasi harmony. Hopefully more of you will see these amazing animals as the years go by.

If memory serves the first bonafide wolf I saw was at the wild life prarie park in peoria. Maybe there are still a few there. I encourage you to check it out if they are.

I live in Naperville. Several hours after a deer rested for approx. 20 minutes in my backyard, I observed what appeared to me as a wolf. A neighbor as well my son convinced me it was a coyote, because wolves are not found in this state. It appeared to weigh about 60-70 pounds; salt and pepper hair and a grayish to white face. With the excessive flooding in Wisconsin and southern Illinois these past weeks, I'm thinking ... just maybe some wildlife in search of dryer land and food, is roaming a distance away from its usual habitat. Is this possible?

Apparently what seemed to be a wolf attack on a deer happened in a backyard in NW IL somewhere around Valentines Day... The blood was splattered too high for coyotes, the tracks were huge - one animal took down the deer.

I am not as excited as some in regards to Wolves in Illinois. We recently had one eyeing our calves. That is the problem, they will not go after Deer if there are cattle or other animals for them to go after that are fenced in. I think it would be better to keep them out of Illinois and wish they were not introduced to the area. Hopefully a producer who shoots one will not get into trouble for protecting his livestock someday. Because it will happen and would be the right thing to do.

I LIVE IN BRAIDWOOD, IL. I WAS STEPPING OUT ONTO MY DECK AND I WAS LETTING MY TWO LITTLE YORKIES OUT TO GO THE THE BATHROOM. AS I TURNED AROUND AND LOOKED UP.. THERE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MY FENCE STOOD TWO BEAUTIFUL GREY WOLVES. I FROZE FOR A SECOND THINKING THEY WILL JUMP THE FENCE AND KILL MY DOGS. SO I STARTED YELLING AT THE TO GET AS LOUD AS I COULD. NEITHER ONE OF THEM MOVED AND CONTINUED TO STARE AT ME. I PRAYED MY PUPS DID NOT START BARKING TO BRING ANY MORE ATTENTION TO THEMSELFS. AFTER A MINUTE OR SO. THE WOLVES TOOK OFF BACK INTO THE WOODS BEHIND MY HOUSE. I HAD HEARD RUMORS THAT THEY HAD INTRODUCED THE GREY WOLF ONTO THE OLD ARSENAL PROPERTY A BIT NORTH OF BRAIDWOOD, IL. .. THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL FOR SURE BUT I SURE AM NOW GOING TO BE AFRAID FOR MY DOGS NOW. THESE THINGS WERE LARGER THAN A BIG GERMAN SHEPHERD SO BY THE COLOR AND SIZE I KNOW THEY WERE NOT CYOTIES...

i belive i seen one in kane county, at the golf course behind the kane county correction center off of fabyan pkwy, im a surveyor, so i come across alot of wild life,this animal was big, and not colored like a coyote, unable to get close enough nor did i want to . but snapped a couple pics couple hundred yards away, when i zoom in on pc, kind of blurred but you can see german shepard like qualitys

I had a big dark gray/black wolf run right in front of my truck, in the middle of oct 2008. It was around 12:00 pm and only 50 feet away from me. There are wolfs in Antioch IL. I live 2 1/2 miles of Route 59, off of Grass Lake Road. We have a large area of woods behind us, a cross the street and on the other side of Grass Lake Road. Very body thinks I'm crazy. I heard there are wolf's and pup's in the Chain O Lakes Park. Now I believe it. I'm glad to see there are other people in my area that has seen the wolfs too.Diane

I live in the west suburbs of Chicago (Winfield to be more precise) and just this morning I believe I saw a wolf in the forest preserve just behind my house. It was way too big to be a coyote, and it was grayish white. I was told that wolves do not live in Illinois, but then I started doing some research. Turns out, more people have seen them around. Has anyone else seen one around this area?

March 1st 09 we spotted a Wolf on a hill near the entrance to Chain O Lakes State park IL. but couldn't get a picture and what we did get was somewhat blurred.March 8th when we drove threw the back of the same park we spotted a different Wolf.Im sure they'll move on by the time the Camp grounds get populated with people but here's a link to a picturehttp://www.microsyspro.com/photo1/actions/image_resized_view.php?imgid=321&wh=800x451Thanks

It seems, at least from the angle of the pic posted in the previous posting, to have a more pointed face than a wolf. Its face almost seems more like a coyote to me, But it looks a good bit taller than a regular sized coyote. I wonder if some crossbreeding is going on or if coyotes are just starting to get huge. It reminds me of pics I've seen of Red wolves. It also reminds me of what I saw awhile back in, of all places, Lake Forest Illinois in Conway park office complex, near the Bears Training camp.

I saw two wolves chasing a deer in the middle of the day in WaterFall Glen forest preserve in Lemont , IL. The deer jumped out of the bushes just few meters in front of me. It was running quickly and looked frightend. I looked in the direction it came from and saw 2 wolves which stoped at the edge of bushes really close to the road. Obviously they were afraid of me. They stood there for a moment, then turned back and disappeared.I know how coyotes look and they were not coyotes or dogs. It was no more than 10 m to the place where they stopped and I am sure they were wolves. It was really suprising.

In January of 2008 I saw a very large wolf near Lake Springfield in Springfield, IL. He darted across the road no more than 200 feet in front of me. I've been to the International Wolf Center in Eli, Minnesota, and I know what a wolf looks like. This most definitely looked like a wolf. A few days later I saw him again in almost the exact same spot. I discovered over the next few months that several other people in the area had also seen him and one person saw him with his mate several times, playing in a field. I haven't seen him since January of 2008, but a few days ago I saw something dart across the road (less than a half mile from the original siting). I slowed the car down and saw what appeared to be two adolescent wolf pups traveling and playing together. They stopped to check me out too and then wandered down a ridge embankment. I'm sure it was wolves. I've written the International Wolf Center in Eli asking if they might have any information.

We were on our way to church last Sunday, Oct.18, 2009 and saw what was definitedly a wolf at Rt 176 and Barreville Rd in Prairie Grove,Il. He was alone, unafraid, ran across 176 and stopped at the top of a berm to look at us in out stopped car. Definitely not a coyote or a german shepherd. At least 75 to 80 lbs. Was awesome!

Saw a gray wold in Butler Illinois around September 14, 2009. it was unmistakeably a wolf. Me and the family were on our way home from a friend's farm in Butler. we stopped on the side of a corn field since we had to rearrange the luggage in the back of the van. As I stopped, I say a wolf about 50 yards away from us, sitting down, watching us. as we completed rearranging the luggage in the rear of the van, we drove past the wolf (before this, I was thinking that it was just a big gray dog, it was bigger than a German Shepherd) and we were surprised how big it was. it was looking right at us from the moment we stopped and while we drove past it, then it ran into the corn field.

I am certain that it is a gray wolf, and I was surprised to see one in Central Illinois.

I'm familiar with fox and coyotes the animal I saw was app.60-70 lbs.I and one of my coworkers walked out towards it coming up from behind a large hill.As we came over the hill about 100 ft.away it definetly was to big for a coyote.It also did not have a pointy snout.It was much more stout in the face and very thick body and legs.We work at Allstate headquarters in Cook Co. Highway 294 & Willow Rd.The western edge of the property backs up to forest preserve property near the Des Plaines river.Everyone thinks we're nuts but we know what we saw.

I live in Maquon, Il on route 97 30 miles south of galesburg. we have seen a very large animal looks like a wolf just out in the fields the behind the house. I have a Samoyed and she was out playing the wolf was in the field i kept calling for her to come back and this thing(wolf like thing) kept making a really weird nose n calling her back to it. i have no idea what it was but a friend seen the same animal on several occasions. she ended up calling somewhere im not sure where and they told her they dumped a couple wolves off a ways from here to control the deer population and that they would be shocked if they made it this far. The same friend has horses and one died she buried it and this animal seriously dug it up and carried it out to the woods she and her husband witnessed it. it was just a calf but still to be strong enough to carry that wow! we have had sightings of bob cats as well some very strange activity around here. just a couple days ago not far from here a couple heard noises in their barn went out to check the horses. Their horse is beat up pretty bad i guess they are running tests to find out exactly what attacked it. they say it doesnt look like a coyote or wolf so who knows what else is out their.

While riding bike with my wife along Des Plaines River Trail I saw a grey wolf or huge coyote. It had long tail bushy held straight horrizontally and larger than a german sheperd. First thought was someone forgot to leash the german sheperd. Tried to follow the animal got as close to 60 ft or less.Found photos on the nethttp://www.naturalworlds.org/wolf/galleries/greywolf2/wf4.jpg

Reading these make me certain I have seen a wolf in McHenry County just outside Woodstock. I have an 85 pound Lab,and have seen an equally tall, german shepherdy animal multiple times, much bolder than the coyotes I normally see. This animal has been as close at 25 feet in broad daylight, unafraid of my Lab, who was afraid of him. Once it was accompanied by another smaller, more timid animal who stayed farther away. This wolf also came into the farmyard under the yardlight several times, something I have never seen a coyote do. And I have heard deeper howling start up after the coyotes howl, making them quit suddenly - they never stop when the dogs bark or howl.

I saw what I believe was a wolf on 131st and Wolf Rd in early December 2009. He had walked out of the forest and was standing in an open field right near the road. At first I thought it might be a cyote, however, he was well over 50 pounds.

Last night my husband said he had seen two coyotes when he was taking out our dog. She is about 40lbs. Anyway when he told me this we both got out the binoculars and tried to find them. We saw both of them curled up next to each other in the park next to our apartment in Orland Park,Il. We also went out side looked for them to get a closer look to confirm what we saw and we were postive it was some gray wild canine. My husband went in our car and drove up to the park which is 50 to 60 feet from our apartment. When they seen him pull up the both got up and he said they were both well heavier than our dog even just sitting up.He said they stood sitting about 3.5 feet. He could be wrong. I know when I seen them laying down the looked bigger then my dog. I think we will try to get a picture next time and show it to someone to confirm what it was. If it is wolves I hope to God nothing terrible happens to them or comes out from them.

I live on the northwest side of Naperville and have a pond behind my townhouse. My condo association sent out a newsletter in December saying that a couple of wolves had taken up residence near our community. The day after I received that newsletter, I saw 2 of them walking by the pond. I didn't see them again until this afternoon. This time there were 3 of them playing on the ice.

We live in Roscoe, IL - between Rockford and the Wisconsin border. I never saw anything, but last night there was a couple of howls - very chilling - in our back yard - well, past our back yard. We've had coyotes back there and I know what they sound like. This sounded very different - a little like a dog, but not quite. I've never really heard anything quite like it before. I would guess that it was a wolf. I went to the window, but couldn't see anything.

Rte. 12 going north from Rte. 120 on the way to Fox Lake. The center median just past the entrance to Camp Duncan appears to be a dead wolf that was hit by a car. Way too big to be a coyote. I live in McHenry County and see coyotes all the time, this is definitely too big to be a coyote.

I live in Alsip and a large wolf was patrolling by the forest by 294 which runs through alsip. He came out of the forest down 120th street so i followed him slowly in my dodge ram. he ran paralel to the road and then back behind a building into some more forest. this was late at night. i would not want to confront him on foot or get out of the dodge ram. sometimes he turned around to look at me looking out the window at him while he trotted away. he was running at half speed. this wolf was well fed and had probably had plenty of deer and geese to feast on which are in forests around here. i spoke with him a couple times with the window down. he was never right outside the window, but probably 20 feet away.

another time when my friends came to visit at 10:00 pm, they parked outside the building, which is on a dead end street near the forest. i was not home yet. then i came driving up and spotted a large wolf. he seemed a few inches smaller than the wolf i saw last time but still big enough to tear apart a man with ease. my friends were waiting in a black toyota corolla. the wolf was waiting to the rear of the car. i think he was waiting for them to come out so he could interact with them in some way or eat them. i became scared for my friends so i drove quickly at the wolf who was concealing himself behind the toyota camry. occassionally the wolf would peek at them through the back window to see what they were doing. my friend was from thailand and was eating thai food earlier, so i think the wolf was excited to eat a delicious thai boy.

i drove down the street towards the wolf and was yelling out the window and flashing my lights. the wolf didnt pay much attention. then i honked the horn and sped up and the wolf could hear the big v-8 revving up and coming his way. then he turned and looked, and ran back in the forest before i got down there.

my friends got out of the car and were relatively oblivious at what was going on. the passenger said he thought he saw something back there or something but it didnt register completley or he thought there was a big dog once in the rearview mirror.

the important thing with these wolves in alsip is just to be aware of them at all times and not let them sneak up on you. they will mostly go away if they are spotted but if they think no one sees them they keep sneaking around.

ive seen wolves in the wolfpark in sweden but those were so huge that you would have to shoot them if they came around here or around people in any way. i was whisteling through the fence at the baby wolf. then the mama wolf galloped over to me. she jumped up on the chain link fence and stood six feet tall with massive arms and paws like a lion or tiger and a big barrel chest. she looked at me and my mom in the face and stood there silently. it was obvious to her we would be no match. i am 5'11 and the wolf mother was taller when standing up like that. i was nervous and stumbled back because we were surprized by her. this wolf was inches from my face. this wolf not only would have torn up me and anyone else on the trail if the fence were not there, but it was large enough to bring down a large moose or horse or most any other large mammal if it had access to itand other pack members. that wolf looked me in the face and her yellow eyes had dialating pupils. it was like a human looking at you, not a dog. she stood still and stared us down. this wolf must have been well over 100 ponds.

at one point you can walk on a bridge over the wolves and look down in their massive fenced in forest area. if someone fell in, which would be hard, the wolves would eat you long before any rangers could get there. this wolves were killers and would form in packs and would not think about killing and eating anything they they could. the male wolf in there would patrol the whole forest very quickly serrching for intruders. i guuess there was feeding at some point but i think we left the wolf park before that or something.

the point is, luckily our wolves in alsip and illinois are relatively smaller than the beast wolf of sweden, thank god.

My friend and I were hiking at dusk in Fitchie Creek forest preserve in Kane County last October 2009 when we disturbed what we believed to be a Wolf sleeping in the tall grass near an enormous brush pile about 15 feet away from me. He stood up facing away from us, turned his head to look at us, and then slowly loped away. He was VERY large and LONG strided! He had a lovely bushy coat that was very black from the top of his head, widely down his back and his entire tail. Never reported it cause no one thought it possible. HOWEVER we saw wolf tracks this spring alongside the path. We have been to the Wolf Center in Ely, MN where they said the difference with wolf tracks is you can see their toe nails. Took pics of them on my cell phone. Now I know I am NOT crazy...others have seen them too!

I saw a wolf on a small road off rt.176 just West of Burton's Bridge. I lived around wooded area in Holiday Hills and I told my son that one morning I saw a wolf and he laughed at me. I told him that she was beautiful but she was definitely not a coyote or a german shepard. A fox was running around the wolf. Well, just a few weeks ago my grand daughter said she made friends with the wolf and my son then had her call the Aninal control and they came out and reported that the wolf was about 3 yrs old and someone owned her but let it go on it's own when he was 9 months old because they became afraid of him. The wolf was not afraid of humans and wanted to have company and did not seem dangerous. The animal control had to tranquilizer him and said that they would bring him to an animal reserve in Wisconsin. I hope that people will be educated on the wild life around that area. I heard gun shots all the time shooting the deer there and now I have read here that the wolves were brought into Illinois again to cut down on the coyote population that was brought in to cut down on the deer population. Why doesn't someone get their act together instead of letting these poor animals get misplaced again because the conservates don't know how to make up their minds on what works. Stop bringing in dangerous animals that are a threat to our pets and our children.

I live in Beach Park by the forest preserve. A few years ago my mom swore she spotted a wolf crossing Sheridan road. I told her she was nuts. I see coyotes almost every morning when I run. Yesterday morning a large black dog/wolf ran across the path in front of me. Much larger than my malamute. I have never seen one before, it was great.

I was walking with a friend this morning at Waterfall Glen in Darien Il. A large wolf ran across our path. It was not a coyote. It looked like a german shepard only larger. Our wolves dangerous to humans? I would hate to have to give up walking the trails at Water Fall Glen

I spotted a gray wolf standing (about 50 lbs.) on the East side of Harlem Ave. in a small wooded area about 15 ft from the 4-lane road just North of 139th St (Orland/Palos) at 1:30 p.m. It had the ruff and the tall height unlike a coyote. Very exiting to see...

I HAVE SEEN WOLVES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS IN PEKIN, ILLINOIS (TAZEWELL CO.) ALL IN WITHIN A MILE OF EACH OTHER. PARKWAY DRIVE/THE CORNER OF RTE.98 AREA. EVERYONE BUT THE ONES WITH ME THINK I AM NUTS =)THE FIRST TIME ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO MY BROTHER AND I WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THERE ARE WOODS AND FIELDS ON EITHER SIDE AND OFF FROM THE RIGHT RAN OUT THIS HUGE BEAUTIFUL GREY ANIMAL. IT STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR LANE WE SLOWED DOWN IT LOOKED STRAIGHT AT US AND RAN OFF TO THE LEFT AND I LOOK AND THERE ARE SEVERAL AND I MEAN SEVERAL OF THESE WOLVES STANDING OFF IN THE FAR CORNER OF AN OPEN FIELD. THE CROP HAD BEEN REMOVED DO IT WAS ALL OPEN, IT WAS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! THE SECOND TIME MY MOTHER IN LAW AND I WERE GOING TO WORK AND WE HAD JUST TURNED THE CORNER OFF OF PARKWAY ONTO 98 AND ONE SHOT OUT FROM ONE SIDE OF THE WOODED ROAD AND STRAIGHT ON TO THE OTHER SIDE OF WOODS. THE THIRD TIME WE WERE DRIVING DOWN PARKWAY AS WELL AND I HAD STARTED LOOKING FOR THEM EVER DAY. OFF TO THE LEFT OF US WAS A VERY SMALL SEMI-CIRCULAR FIELD THAT WAS BARE AND THERE IN IT STOOD A WOLF EATING A CARCASS OF SOME SORT. THE ANIMALS I HAVE SEEN ARE VERY LARGE AND VERY BEAUTIFUL, I KNOW WHAT COYOTE LOOKS LIKE AND THESE ARE NO COYOTES. WHAT BROUGHT ME TO THIS FORUM WAS MY MOM JUST CALLED A BIT AGO AND ASKED ME ABOUT THE WOLVES I HAVE SEEN AS MY STEP-DAD JUST HAD THE SAME INCIDENT 2-27-11 OF A VERY LARGE BEAUTIFUL LIGHT GREY ANIMAL RUNNING IN FRONT OFF HIM, HE SAID IT HAD TO WEIGH EVERY BIT OF 100LBS OR MORE AS HE HAS A VERY LARGE LAB AND HE SAID IT STOOD TALLER AND WAS BIGGER THAN HIM. IT IS AMAZING AND VERY SCARY AT THE SAME TIME THOUGH AS THEY ARE PREDATORS AND GIVEN THE CHANCE WILL ATTACK YOU. PEOPLE NEED TO KEEP THAT IN MIND, I WAS GOING TO GO "LOOKING" FOR THEM UNTIL I REMINDED MYSELF OF THEIR ABILITIES TO KILL. ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAVE SEEN THEM INDIVIDUALLY BUT ALSO IN PACK FORMATION AND I MEAN THERE HAD TO BE 20 OR MORE, IT WAS AN AMAZING THING TO SEE AND I AM GLAD TO SEE THAT I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS...THERE ARE WOLVES IN ILLINOIS!!I HAVE OFTEN THOUGHT OF GOING AND SITTING (IN MY TRUCK OF COURSE) IN THIS AREA LATE NIGHT VERY EARLY MORNING TO SEE IF I COULD POSSIBLY GET A PICTURE BECAUSE THAT IS THE ONLY WAY ANYONE IS GOING TO BELIEVE ME. I TOO ALSO HAVE SEEN THE BOBCAT PRINTS...SO GUESS WHAT WE ARE GETTING SOME VERY SERIOUS PREDATORS IN OUR STATE SO BE CAREFUL WHEN ENJOYING THE OUTDOORS!!!

I live in Alsip and there are a pack of wolves living in the forest now near our shop. Was just a couple before, now there are many. As time goes on, they get braver and braver, closer and closer. If You go near them they run away. They creep up in the darkness, quietly, and unless you look around and spot them they keep coming. But if you see them they stop and stare you down. They are brave and and dont run like other animals. Anyone who wants to see them, come here and i will show you. They are not as big as giant alaskan huskies or siberian hukies, but are fairly large. They are not as big as Grey wolves that are in Europe. But yes they are wolves and they understand how to react with humans so i predict they will keep spreading through this area as an alpha predator. Adults are safe but if small children wander out there i would question their safety around these wolves. There mut be some type of food source for these wolves in the Alsip forest, perhaps rabbits or some garbage, but something is allowing them to flourish. These were not malnourished wolves. I offered one some prociouto that i got at Fairplay, but the wolf would not let me get within 50 yards of it. The thing with these wolves is that they dont like you to come near them.

MCHENRY COUNTY...I spotted a Wolf coming out of the tall weeds ...not going to say where exactly but it was UNMISTAKABLE ....very beautiful...I can't see it becoming a problem...and if it does then I'm sure Wildlife and Conservation will take care of it.

I moved to my new house in Antioch, Illinois a month ago and have heard a few coyotes at night, however about a week ago I seen a very large wolf in my backyard around 11:30 PM. I have seen coyotes and fox and I am absolutely sure this was a wolf. I would say it weighed 70-80 lbs and did not seem nervous or shy. I am off of Grass Lake Rd. Near Bluff Lake Rd. Has anyone else seen it?

While driving home from work on Tuesday, Nov. 29, I spotted what I believe to be a large black wolf trotting along Youngs Road (not far from Route 6) in the Joliet-Channahon area in Will County. There are a couple of industrial plants out in that area,and the surrounding land is comprised of wooded and brushy areas with prairie and fields bordering. We often see coyote and wild turkey along the area near the river there, and deer abound, as well as the usual small animals such as possoms,skunks, rabbits, racoons, toads and frogs and various birds. It was after 8:30p.m., and dark;I was driving slowly, since the deer have recently been more active earlier in the evenings. A large animal slowly trotted down the road for a few yards, then turned to look at my approaching car for a moment, standing at the edge of the road.His yellow eyes glowed in the headlights, his bushy tail held out parallel to the ground, his fur all black. Had he not walked into my headlights,he would have been difficult to see. Thinking that the lack of any light streaks of fur plus the long body length and large size completely disqualified him as a coyote, I estimated the weight at about 75-85 pounds.There was something about the way this animal calmly and impassively stopped and observed me,then slowly walked into the brush.He was unafraid, unhurried. I suppose the animal was doing a bit of hunting for its dinner. I continued on home, and just a little farther down Rte.6, a coyote ran in front of my car. The difference between it and the large animal I'd just seen was remarkable.The coyote's fur was light, the ticked-grey fur typical of them. It was much smaller, trotting quickly along the side of the road. (Most of us around here often see coyotes in this area, since it is brushy, wooded, and near the river.) I am glad to see that the wolf is making a comeback. Judging by the comments left here by others,the animals are definately around. They are not nearly as evident as coyotes,which we see frequently. This is only the third time I have seen an animal that was most likely a wolf running free. Several years ago while returning from work, also around the same time of year, A big animal with a very large frame and the lighter fur typical of a Timber Wolf ran across the road in front of me in a brushy area near Rockdale, Il.It, too stopped to briefly stare at me, then continued on its way.

I live next to Chain O Lakes State Park. Yes I've heard wolves howl in those woods..not coyote. It's the deep beautiful howl wolves make. Sounded like 2 voices. Wolves do not want anything to do with humans, not human children either! There has never been a healthy wolf attack on a human in North America. They avoid us like the plague. However wolf hybrids will interact with us & dont show same fear. Wolf hybrids can attack people if provoked, terrified, or attacked, injured by humans. Stray dogs, malamutes, can look very wolfy but lack the longer legs of wolves. Also wolves dont have big barrel chests. Or big ears like german shepards. Wolves are not monsters They have a very important ecological role. And they dont hunt the biggest healthiest strongest animals...humans do that.

By the way..wolf hybrids are created by people who sell the puppies to make money. They are NOT good pets. They are not like dogs. When the people who buy them realize this, they get dumped to fend for themselves. Bad situation for everyone including & especially the wolf hybrids.

This morning on the I & M Canal trail in Lemont I'm walking along looking in front of me I notice four figures about 100 yards ahead. I stopped and stared. It was clear they were dogs only because of their movement. I just backed up and they stood their ground. Much ran through my mind because of my unfamialarity with these animals. I was headed toward a kennel sort of and thought wild dogs. These dogs were about the same size and dark in color. So I left and went over bridge so now between canals. I'm walking and about half hour later and around mile from first siting This white wolf runs by me about thirty yars ahead. I'm freakin, Picked up rocks and I keep goin. I come back later in my car and ask is fella with a golden retriever. He says it was probably coyote and his dog would chase them and they run away. But I described the white one and he seemed to want to leave then. I want to say I have a blonde field lab that when running his tail is usually up. This dog was running extremely graceful, with tail down.Was on angle towrd narrow canal which worried me cause then actually sort of toward me so I walk backwards constantly searching even while picking up rocks. Yes I thought shepard but have fair amount experience with them and their large chest. My dogs grand father was a large german shepard some said was part wolf. Anyway this was so graceful and beautiful. I went home then and looked on line for picture and yes no doubt abuot it a wolf!o

I'm sure I saw a wolf on 12/29/12 around 8:30 in lisle or naperville on chicago/maple east of the walgreens. I saw it jogging down the street, and wondered if it might be a coyote, but driving closer saw that it was definitely larger. Saw the gray fur and the huge paws and and the next thought was wolf. No doubt in my mind. Surprised and happy to see it, just happy I was in my car at the time.

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Reportedly, several years ago there were a pair of wolves living in the Cook County Forest Preserve around Routes 45 and 83. From what I was told, these wolves were tagged and had come down from Minnesota, stayed for awhile, had a litter and then moved north to Canada.

I never had the pleasure of seeing them, but I know of two people who did. One of these people mentioned how much larger they were than the coyotes we normally see in the area.

I was walking my dog in Mchenry,Il.,Pine Ridge subdivion when I heard a rusling of leaves in a woodsy area near by ,figured it was a deer,we turned back to walk home and something told me to look back,when I saw a all black figure about 200'away,i thought it was a dog off its leash. It saw us & started walking towards us slowly,then faster ,I got a creepy feeling we were being stalked and started walking home backwards faster. It was no dog ! I yelled & waved my hands to scare it off, it wasn't afraid and kept coming,i picked up speed and kept yelling put my flash on (it was dusk) it,hoping it would scare it, but not a chance it was falling us home ! We walked as fast as I can into the house. That night the dog did not to out into our yard. The next morning at 8am ,I took my dog into the yard for her to do her business, and she did not go out I had to drag her out ,she's a 70lb pitt bull, she was terrified ,we live on 3 acres with some woodsy area's around us ,she would only go 2'from the house no more, all the while constantly looking all around her and ran back in the house quickly as soon as she was done !! I usually cant get her to come in,and now she is running in the house ! The animal was obviously a predator and she knew, so did I,and it was no dog or coyote ! It moved much slower ,about 70lbs or more,fearless and stalked us ! It was diffently A WOLF !!

I was walking my dog in Mchenry,Il.,Pine Ridge subdivion when I heard a rusling of leaves in a woodsy area near by ,figured it was a deer,we turned back to walk home and something told me to look back,when I saw a all black figure about 200'away,i thought it was a dog off its leash. It saw us & started walking towards us slowly,then faster ,I got a creepy feeling we were being stalked and started walking home backwards faster. It was no dog ! I yelled & waved my hands to scare it off, it wasn't afraid and kept coming,i picked up speed and kept yelling put my flash on (it was dusk) it,hoping it would scare it, but not a chance it was falling us home ! We walked as fast as I can into the house. That night the dog did not to out into our yard. The next morning at 8am ,I took my dog into the yard for her to do her business, and she did not go out I had to drag her out ,she's a 70lb pitt bull, she was terrified ,we live on 3 acres with some woodsy area's around us ,she would only go 2'from the house no more, all the while constantly looking all around her and ran back in the house quickly as soon as she was done !! I usually cant get her to come in,and now she is running in the house ! The animal was obviously a predator and she knew, so did I,and it was no dog or coyote ! It moved much slower ,about 70lbs or more,fearless and stalked us ! It was diffently A WOLF !!

When I saw this website, I realized it was a wolf I saw in Mchery,Illinois ,Pine Ridge subdivion on 6/28/13 on Concord Dr. walking towards me and my 70lb dog, when I got in the house I told my son , he asked me what it looked like,i said ok this sounds crazy but,at first I thought it was a dog ,it was all black and it was starting to stalk us ,it looked like a black panther,because it was so black ! And ive seen coyotes before it wasn't a coyote, and besides they run so fast you bearly can see them ,this thing was as clear as day on the side of the road, but right in front of me looking at us ,it just came out of the woods where we were standing a few minutes prior to that.And it spotted us and was walking slowly towards us, it briefly stopped once after I started yelling and waived my hands than it started coming again a little faster ,I continued yelling and flashing my flash light at it and waiving my hands ,it was fearless and just kept coming ! I was afraid to run in fear once I did it would run after us, so I walked as fast as I could backwards, and then forward, the dog coruperated for once(usually she wants to stay out longer and pulls back )and picked up her speed as well. We were clearly being stalked I was about 2/3 of a mile from the house,text my son to come out with a bat and a flash light with one hand and hussled in the door ! I was so freaked out and my dog also, she hasn't wanted to go out at all ever since,we have to force her and she runs back in quickly when shes done, she will only walk a few feet from the house and scurries back in ! I have never seen a 70lb pitt bull so afraid before ! Everybody please be careful walking your dogs out here ,bring a weapon of some kind for your own safety, just to scare the animal away, im pretty sure now ,that what I saw was a wolf !!! And I wouldn't walk through the suvdivision at night lately at all ! I remember last summer I saw a huge amount of blood in the middle of the road at one of the intersections half way into the subdivision and thought it was from a hunter illegally hunting and shooting a deer back here, now I wonder was it a wolf attack !!! I will call the animal control on Monday morning and report it, it is over the weekend right now. Be careful !!

I've heard them several times and I live near Fall Creek Park. Thinking about getting a mule to protect my horses. I know that howl without a doubt. I seen one in broad daylight. Biggethan my male German shepherd who is 85 lb.

To the person in Pekin Il. who has spotted gray wolks on Parkway and 98. I was the proud ownerof a very Large Black Male when i was living on springfield road he was very special to me but one morning i left for work and did not go to his kennel to say goodmorning that was my mistake because when i returned home that evening he was gone.he was a very smrt amimal and he had dug a tunnel about 20 feet from the back of his dog houe=se to the outside off the fence.I still miss his so much i have pixs from age 5weeks to just a few days before he was gone. He would be 9 yrs old now and i hope he is happy.maybe the ones you are seeing now are his offspring.He would be getting some grey color to him now but if you ever see him his name is THUNDER